Load handling attachment for industrial lift trucks



G. E. ADAM S Aug. 7, 1956 LOAD HANDLING ATTACHMENT FOR INDUSTRIAL LIFT TRUCKS Filed Jan. 8, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 QJ/Zams INVENTOR ATTORNEYS G. E. ADAMS Aug. 7, 1956 LOAD HANDLING ATTACHMENT FOR INDUSTRIAL LIFT TRUCKS 2 sheds-sheet 2 Filed Jan. 8, 1954 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS LOAD HANDLING ATTACHMENT FOR INDUSTRIAL LIFT TRUCKS Grover E. Adams, Vermont, lll.

` Application January 8, 1954', Serial No. 402,913

1 Claim. (Cl. 214-654) This inventionV relates to an improved loading and/r unloading industrial truck and more particularly to an attachment for an industrial truck of the kind to be more particularly described hereinafter having load supporting elements engageable underneath a load to be raised and transported with load stabilizing elements releasably engageable with the load, `there being a hydraulic means urging the stabilizing elements into contact with the load for transportation and away from the load for unloading the truck.

It is a further object of, this invention to providev an improved loading and unloading attachment for an industrial lift truck of the kind having a frame slidable vertically on the lift truck with an attachment of horizontally and outwardly extending load supporting elements pivotally mounted on the slidable frame with horizontally and outwardly extending load stabilizing elements pivotally mounted above the load supporting elements, a hydraulically actuated means for urging the stabilizer elements toward and away from the load supporting elements to stabilize the load while moving arent 2,757,813 Patented Aug. 7, 1956 device for attachment to a lift truck, the lift truck being formed of conventional means having the lifting and unloading attachment constructed -according to an embodiment of this invention attached thereto.

The conventional lift truck is provided with an elevator frame 11 onto which the loading and unloading attachment is connected.

The elevator frame 11 is provided with longitudinally extending vertical frame members 13 secured together by horizontal frame members 14 for movement vertically upwardly or downwardly along the upstanding rods or tracks 12.

A loop 15 is provided on the upper end of the vertically extending frame members 13 for attachment to the horizontal vertically moving bars of the elevator. The loop 15 is formed integrally on an end of a at metal shank 16 which is used to secure the transversely extending horizontal frame members 14 together and for movement together along the length of the upstanding rods or tracks 12.

A transverse rotatable rod 18 is rotatably supported at the elevator frame 11 for the purposes to be described hereinafter.

A hook 19 having a shank 20 is secured at the shank end to the transverse rotatable rod 18 by bolts or rivets v 21 forrotation or pivotal movement therewith. An eye the load` supporting elements beingpivoted on the attachment frame for pivoted movement downwardly to release the load for unloading and the load stabilizing elements being pivotal upwardly to disengage and release the load while unloading.

lt is yet another object of this invention to provide a loading and unloading attaching frame for an industrial lift truck of this kind having an attachment frame attachable with the lifting means of the truck with outwardly extending load supporting elements pivotally mounted on the frame attachment for loading and unloading the load onto and from the truck and load stabilizing elements pivotally mounted on the frame attachment above the load supporting elements, a manually hydraulically actuated clamp. being pivoted between the load supporting elements and the load stabilizing elements for clamping or releasing the load stabilizing elements relative to the load supporting elements and a manually operable hook pivoted on the frame engageable and disengageable with the load supporting frame for securely holding the load supporting elements for supporting a load and releasing the load supporting elements for discharging the load from the truck.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter described and the novel features thereof defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a loading and unloading attachment constructed according to an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the attachment.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the attachment.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. l.

Referring more specifically lto the drawings the numeral 10 designates generally a loading and unloading is formed at one end of the shank to be engaged about the rod 18 and engagedby the bolts or rivets 21.

An L-shaped load supporting frame 23 having vertically extending arms 24 thereon are engaged by means of bearings 24a with the rotatable pivot bar 25 which is secured to the lower end of the vertical arms 13 and lthe load supporting frames 23 also have outwardly extending members or bars 26 to extend forwardly from the loading and unloading truck 10. `A transverse bar 27 is vcarried by the verticallyv extending arms 24 inter mediate the length thereof to be engaged by the hook 19 on the rotatable transverse rod 18. v

An inverted L shaped member or element 28 is secured on the extreme upper end of the vertically extending arms 24, the inverted L shaped member 28 having a vertically extending arm 29 and a horizontally extending arm 30 on one end of the vertically extending arm. The vertically extending arm 29 is secured to the vertically extending arm 24 of the load supporting frame member by bolts 31 as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

A hydraulic cylinder 32 is carried by the vertically extending arms 24 at their end and on the opposite side thereof from the inverted L shaped member 28.

Hydraulic tubes or lines 33 are connected to the opposite ends of the cylinder 32 and a bracket 34 is lxed to the lower end of the cylinder 32 for attaching the cylinder to the vertically extending arm 24 and for the operation to be more particularly described hereinafter.

A transversely extending pivot shaft 35 is carried adjacent the ends of the stabilizer frame to be described hereinafter. Pivot brackets 36 are secured to the horizontally extending arm 30 of the inverted L shaped element 28 within which the pivot shaft 35 is rotatably engaged.

A piston rod 37 is extended upwardly and outwardly from the cylinder 32 and from a piston in the cylinder, the piston not being shown in the drawings as it is believed that such a showing is unnecessary and can be immediately conceived by a person viewing these drawings and reading this description.

A stabilizer frame 38 is pivotally mounted at the upper end of the load supporting frame, the stabilizer frame 38 having longitudinally extending, ordinarily horizontal bars 39 which are connected together by horizontally extending at bars 40.

The horimntal flat bars 40 immediately adjacent to the pivot shaft 35 are provided with downwardly extending pivot brackets 41 within which the pivot pin 42 on the upper outer end of the piston shaft may be rotatably exeged.

1n the use and operation of this loading and unloading attachment for a lift truck, described above, the slidable elevator lift frame ol the truck is initially positioned at the lowermost position on the truck so that the load supporting frame may be engaged below a load to be supported by the truck. At this time, hydraulic fluid may be introduced into the piston through the uppermost hyaulic line 33 for rocking the stabilizing frame upvllnly to he out ei engagement with any load engaged el the had supporting frame.

The load stabilizing frame may then be moved to engngement with the load above the supporting frame by movement of the piston rod 37 upwardly in the piston n whereupon the load stabilizing frame is lowered about its respectivepivot shaft into engagement with the upper surface ot the load.

At this time the entire lift truck may be lifted to any dedred position so that the load can be moved about on the truck and by the device on which the truck is mounted.

For unloading the load from the lift truck attachment, described above, the elevator trarne :my be lowered on the truck at which time the stabilizing frame may be rained out oi engagement with the load and the hook may then be moved upwardly and outwardly from its engagement with the transverse shaft 27 on the load supporting frame so that the load supporting frame may pivot about the axis of its pivot shaft 25 and the load may be discharged or dumped from the truck.

The loading truck may then have the respective loading frame and stabilizer frame moved to any selected position while the entire truck is moved toa new position for engagement with another load.

A handle 43 is connected to or formed integral with one end oi the transverse rotatable shaft 18 for manu- 4 ally actuating the shaft to disengage or engage the hook 19 with the bar 27 of the load supporting frame 23.

While the specific details of one embodiment of this invention have been herein shown and described, the invention is not confined thereto as changes and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as dened in the appended claim.

I claim:

In a loading and unloading device having an upstanding guide frame, a vertically slideble frame engaging said guide frame, a pair of L-shaped fork members, a bar securing the vertical sides of said fork members together, a pivot bar carried by the lower portion of said slidable frame, means rockably mounting the lower ends of said vertical sides on said pivot bar, a fork locking hook, means rockably mounting said hook on said slidable frame in a position to releasably engage said rstnamed bar, an operating handle tixed relative to said mounting means, a load presser means, means rockably disposing said load preer means on the upper ends of said L-shaped fork members, and a hydraulic operator carried by said fork members connected to said presser means.

Remeneelcitelinthetleofthispetent UNITEDSTATBS PATENTS 1,763,351 Gfrorer e June l0, 1930 2,520,564 Reagle Aug. 29. 1950 2,545,021 Coupland et al Mar. 13, 1951 2,557,395 Schmidgall lune 19, 1951 2,578,802 Heidrick et al Dec. 18, 1951 2,596,477 Frischmann et al. May 13, 1952 2,598,515 Dickson May 27, 1952 2,675,139 Mercier et al. Apr. 13, 1954 2,684,165 Hill Iuly 20. 1954 2,698,698 Smith et al. Jan. 4, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 714,482 Great Britain SQL 1, 1954 

